Banker in Angola money laundering scandal kills himself, say police

A key suspect in the "Luanda Leaks" investigation has died in an apparent suicide. The death comes as Angolan authorities investigate the business dealings of billionaire Isabel dos Santos.

A Portuguese banker named in the Angola corruption scandal was found dead in his Lisbon apartment, police said Thursday.

Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha appeared to have hanged himself in the garage of his home late Wednesday, a police statement said. Authorities had previously linked the banker to an investigation targeting Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of Angola's former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

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Ribeiro da Cunha, who according to police had tried to kill himself earlier this month, was the head of private banking at Lisbon-based EuroBic, where Isabel dos Santos, reputedly Africa's richest woman, has a majority 42.5% stake. The bank says she now plans to sell that portion.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published a trove of files last week reportedly showing how dos Santos siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars of public money into offshore accounts. Dos Santos denial

In excess of 715,000 documents — dubbed "Luanda Leaks" — have been investigated 120 reporters in 20 countries, including Germany.

Meanwhile, dos Santos denied the accusations against her and promised "to fight through the international courts to defend my good name."

"The allegations which have been made against me over the last few days are extremely misleading and untrue," she said in a statement.

If you are suffering from serious emotional strain or suicidal thoughts, do not hesitate to seek professional help. You can find information on where to find such help, no matter where you live in the world, at this website: https://www.befrienders.org/. jsi/stb (Reuters, AFP, AP)

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